How To Handle School Bullies

Every school has its bullies—people who try to show that they’re stronger and more powerful than others. They do this through name-calling, making threats, spreading rumors, and other behaviors.

Bullying is different from teasing. Teasing may be a part of bullying, but bullying goes beyond teasing. Bullying is a pattern of behavior that is meant to hurt, embarrass, and frighten its intended target.

According to stopbullyingnow.com, a website designed for students by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Service Information anti-bullying campaign, bullying is more common than some people think. Between 15 and 25 percent of US students are bullied, and it can affect them so seriously that they have trouble learning and may skip school.

Students who are bullies are also more likely to skip school, smoke, and drink alcohol. They are also more likely to vandalize property and eventually be convicted of other crimes.

Boys are more likely than girls to bully others, but girls report being bullied by boys and other girls, while boys are more likely to be bullied only by other boys. Bullying even affects bystanders who aren’t actually involved, because it fosters a feeling of fear and disrespect in schools.

Bullies usually harass others when there are few adults or teachers around, in places like playgrounds, cafeterias, locker rooms, buses, and even on computers. By doing this, they know it will be harder for their victims to do anything about it.

There are things you should and should not do when dealing with bullies.

Do:

Ignore the behavior and walk away. Even if the bully is being very mean, try to pretend as if it doesn’t bother you. It’s not as much fun for him if you don’t react.

Report the behavior if you don’t feel safe. If the bully threatens you or makes you feel unsafe, tell you parents, teacher, principal, or guidance counselor.

Try to avoid the bully and stay with a group of friends. Friends will support you and can be witnesses to the bully’s behavior.

Report it if you see someone else being bullied. Bullies often get away with their behavior when it’s one person’s word against another. It’s easier for a school to take action against a bully if another student reports what’s going on.

Don’t:

Fight with a bully. This will just get you in trouble. If you try to get even, the bully will probably try to get even with you again later.

Tell the bully he’s hurting your feelings. Though it’s usually good to let others know how you feel, in this case, it’s usually not helpful. This just lets the bully know that he’s been successful.

Become a bully yourself. Some people respond to harassing behavior by becoming bullies themselves. Remember how bad bullying makes you feel. Treating someone else this way won’t make you feel good about yourself.

The most important thing to remember when dealing with a bully is to remind yourself that what he says isn’t true. The bully is the one with the problem, not you.

By: Erin Treder

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Erin Treder writes articles for CPI, an international training organization that is committed to best practices and safe behavior management methods that focus on prevention. CPI specializes in classroom safety.